Maiji Mountain is 150 meters tall, and it was named for its shape -- like that of a pile of wheat. According to historical records, the Maiji Grottoes were excavated during the Hou Qin Dynasty of the Sixteen Kingdom Period. The Maiji Mountain Grottoes have a long history. Excavation and rock carving continued for more than a thousand years. During the Beizhou Dynasty, Liyunxin built the Seven-Buddha Pavilion in memory of his deceased father. Emperor Wen Di of the Sui Dynasty ordered the construction of a Buddhist nun site. The present dagoba on the top of the mountain was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. A lot of the original temples have been destroyed, but a lot remain. There are very old frescoes dating from before the Sui Dynasty.
The mountain contains the east and west cliffs, where Buddhist idea and sutra content are expressed through clay statues and frescoes. There remain 194 grottoes, with 7,200 pieces of clay statues and stone carvings and more than 1,300 sq meters of frescoes. Most of the Mount Maiji Grottoes are connected together by zigzagging jutting plank roads, where the tourists can go to appreciate the grottoes.
Work on the Maiji caves began in the late Qin Dynasty (221 BC - 206 BC), progressing through to the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). The Northern Wei (386 - 534) period was also a time of its great prosperity, and Buddhism began to prevail as a cultural force. Subsequent dynasties added to and sometimes rebuilt the caves according to the styles of the era. Interestingly, although the statues were built at the same location, none of them maintained a similar style with those preceding it. Statues from each dynasty clearly developed distinct elements.
The statues in Mount Maiji Grottoes fall into four categories: relief, medallion, sticking, and wall modeling. Some of the statues are as high as 15 meters, and some are only 20 cm high. In a word, the statues in Mount Maiji Grottoes display the history of the development of clay statues in China.
There are other places of interest near Maiji Mountain as well, Xianren Cliff, Shimen Mountain, Quxi and Maiji Arboretum, all offer fine panoramic views of mountains, rivers and plants in Northwest China.
Admission Fee: CNY 22
CNY 50 for entering the cave (Including the fare for a guide)
Opening Time:
08:30 20:00 in summer and autumn; 08:30 18:00 in spring and winter.
How to get there:
Tourist buses start every half an hour from the square in front of the railway station in Beidao District. It takes about 1 hour to get to the grottoes and the cost is 5 yuan.
Tips:
Tourists are not allowed to take any bags or cameras with them while visiting the grottoes. It costs 1 yuan to check the bag and 2 yuan to check the camera at the foot of the mountain. It may be very crowded during prime tourist time. In case there is traffic jam and people have to get off the car and walk sometimes, it is advisable for tourists to start early in the morning.